


From the Shadows

by tatch



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Blind Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison, Feels, M/M, McGenji - Freeform, McHanzo - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reaper76 - Freeform, Talon Hanzo Shimada, Talon Jesse McCree, There was suposed to be some fluff but it got drowned in the angst, angsty fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-17
Updated: 2016-12-09
Packaged: 2018-08-31 13:16:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8580007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tatch/pseuds/tatch
Summary: How and when did Jesse and Hanzo become Talon agents? How come Gabriel is alive? What has happened to Angela?Maybe a lost datapad can answer all those questions...





	1. The cyborg, the archer and the outlaw

 

**Nepal**

 

To be honest, Genji wasn’t sure how they’d ended up in this situation. One minute, they were playfully walking the streets, Lena and Winston sharing stories about what had happened during their time apart, strolling toward Genji’s apartment. The next, Winston had tucked them both around a corner, face grave and body tense. “Talon.” Indeed, there was a small group of Talon agents casually walking in an adjacent street. The group split into three smaller groups as it reached an intersection, each group going in a different direction. Lena and Winston exchanged a look, simultaneously turning to Genji, who simply nodded in answer. They split, each of them following a group.

 

And now, Genji was half crouching, half running on a rooftop. The group he had followed was the smallest (only 2 agents) and had seemed to be headed toward the shrine. As they finally reached their destination (which had indeed been the shrine), he noticed a few other agents scattered left and right. Dispatching them would be quite simple. But then someone stepped out from behind one of the columns surrounding the shrine and Genji flattened on the roof, making himself smaller. This one was different. Large cowboy hat, long coat covered in dust, long hair, bandana covering the lower half of his face and armor plating on his chest and forearms. All in shades of gray and white. There was an edge of restrained violence and competence in the man’s move, enough of it that it made Genji cautious.

 

The man stepped out of the shadows, and in plain light, it looked even more as if he’d come to life from one of those old western movies Jesse used to love so much. At the thought of his cowboy, Genji’s heart clenched, his train of thought derailing for a minute. _(Where are you Jesse. Please be alright.)_ Jesse had gone missing after the Switzerland incident and was one of the few to have formerly been part of Overwatch that had not answered Winston’s call. Genji had searched everywhere for the man and found nothing. As if Jesse had just up and vanished one morning. Something glinted on Genji’s right. He evaded the attack on pure instinct. An arrow lodged itself right where his head had been, not two seconds ago.

“I’ve been engaged.” Genji said, turning to try and see the archer.

“On our way.” He heard Winston say through the comm-link.

“Anything unusual, love?” Lena asked.

“Couple of Talon agents and-”

A shot hit his shoulder. Genji stumbled and turned to see that the… out-of-a-western outlaw had him in his sights, his revolver aimed at Genji. He jumped toward one of the two tall arks that surrounded the shrine and hid behind a pillar. Only to duck a second later, another arrow zipping over his head. It seemed that he had found the archer after all.

 

Short hair, white temples, metal prosthetics for legs, a japanese archer traditional outfit with a black undersuit that covered him from the tip of his fingers to his neck underneath. Much like the outlaw, a mask covered the lower part of his face. It reminded him of those masks children would wear during the fair, back in Hanamura.

“Genji?” Winston.

“There are two dangerous ones, also.”

In the background, he heard Lena curse. “We’re not far.”

Genji threw himself at the archer, aiming at the man’s shoulder. The bow came in to counter his sword, the strength of the impact throwing them both backwards. He had no time for this. Genji summoned the strength of the dragon that resided within his blood and threw the green beast toward his adversary. The archer’s eyes widened. A blue spiraling form emerged from his left arm. No. The man spun on himself, redrawing Genji’s attack and directing it right back at him, blue dragons surrounding Genji’s green one. Only a Shimada could- In a last minute movement, Genji jumped down. “Brother?” He looked at the archer who stared back, for no longer than a second. The distance and the mask made his brother’s expression undecipherable.

 

Blue light zipping in at the corner of his eye. Gunfire. The archer, no, Hanzo turned toward the shrine and leaped that way. On the ground, Genji followed. The outlaw was shooting at Lena, actually managing to graze her every now and then. Genji dispatched the agent that stood between him and the shrine, not taking his eyes off the outlaw. Further away, Winston finished with the remaining Talon agents and both men moved in to assist their friend. Hanzo reached the shrine’s rooftop. Arrows zipped by but one archer was not enough to cover the ground, not with the two of them. Suddenly, the outlaw changed his stance, taking two steps back, bringing his revolver low onto his hips, his free hand hovering right above the hammer. They all froze in shock at the unmistakable pose.

“Jesse?!” He shot a barrage of bullets, hitting them all. Genji caught the bullet in the knee, something sparking as it passed through metal. He heard something shattering and Winston’s grunt of pain.

  
A heavy sound filled the air. The outlaw-Jesse turned away, grabbing some sort of bag under the shrine and running toward the edge of the plaza in the middle of which the shrine was built. Lena tried to follow but a few well-placed arrows from Hanzo kept her in place. The sound grew closer and a Talon transporter showed up. Lena and Genji exchanged a look and ran to Winston, pulling the scientist to cover just as the transporter’s turrets opened fire. Winston had been shot just above the hip. His expression was grim. What was worse was Lena’s own expression of shocked betrayal. Her glasses were broken on one side. An uninterrupted stream of ‘it doesn’t make sense-it can’t be-why would he’ was coming out of her mouth. The gunfire ceased quite fast and Genji risked a look out of cover. The transporter door was closing but he could see that Hanzo and Jesse were inside before it did. The ship sped away, soon out of sight. Winston had managed to calm Lena a bit, she was still shocked but no longer hysterical. “Let us do what we came for and head back.” Genji nodded. There would be time to discuss this later. Genji’s heart clenched painfully in his chest. Maybe it would have been better not to know what had happened to his cowboy.

 

 


	2. Do old soldiers dream of elderly war goats?

 

**Giza - near the temple of Anubis**

 

Jack looked at the posters of wanted criminals. Trying to decide whether or not one of those could be a good recruit for Winston’s newly formed team. These days, being wanted and having a bounty on your head often meant nothing more than the fact that you were ready to speak your mind, capable of making your own damn choices and ready to do what needed to be done. The ex-commander of Overwatch stared at the faces, and the crimes they were associated with. He came upon his own poster. Identity: unknown. He looked so old. He shouldn’t have been the one to be standing here. Standing in the middle of this fucking street, trying to determine which one of those wanted people might actually be more than some low-life criminal. Gabe would have known what to do. His better half would have found ways to keep on doing their job, to keep the team together, to keep going. Stealth and off-the-book ops were his partner’s things after all. Jack sighed and moved to the next poster. Arson, theft, murder. This one wouldn’t do. He was so tired. _Just a couple more and then I’ll find a place to crash,_ he argued with himself. He rolled his shoulders, heard some of his joints pop and moved to the next poster. And stopped. Identity: unknown. Espionage, assault, theft. But what had attracted his attention was the helmet. It was an old Overwatch sniper helmet, old even by his standards. Jack could have counted the number of people who still used that model on the fingers of one hand, back when Overwatch still existed. And each and every one of those people had been an Overwatch agent. Jackpot.

 

“You looking to collect?”  

From the corner of his eye, Jack could see some brat. The smile was a 100% fake and the barely concealed giddiness of his demeanor only served to tire the old man some more. Right. There was a price on Jack’s head. Some days, he just...forgot.

“Hakim’s offering good money. This one’s been causing him and his associates a lot of problems.”

Well, thanks for the free intel, kid.

“Now me, I normally wouldn’t turn on one of our own, but if the price is right…”

A hand was extended toward him. A life time ago, Jack might have taken him up on the offer. It had been then.

“Where do I find this Hakim?” he asked instead, his rough and unused voice sounding gruff and emotionless, even to his own ears.

“I’d be happy to take you there.” Pressure to the side of his head. The once-upon-a-time-a-hero turned his head slightly, his gaze meeting a crooked grin and eyes devoured by cupidity.

Kids these days.

 

Once again, Jack missed Gabriel. ( _Why did you have to die, Gabe?_ ) The commander of Blackwatch would have already punched that kid’s teeth in, without even looking at him, all the while smirking at Jack. ( _It should have been me._ ) Hell, with Gabe’s menacing aura, nobody would have even dared to come this close. ( _Why did you save me?_ ) But Reyes was long dead, no more than a memory, a ghost that sometimes kept Jack awake at night. Blackwatch had turned to dust scattered in the wind by now, a story experienced gangsters only told to young recruits to keep them on their toes. Jack sighed again, squaring his shoulders. At least, the brat had been useful and he now had a place to start searching for that ex-Overwatch sniper, he told himself as he left, leaving the young man unconscious and beaten up on the ground.

 

* * *

 

**Hakim’s compound**

 

The bunch of mercenary protecting the gate had not even given Jack pause. Nothing but idiots and amateurs. He wasn’t even warmed-up yet. He should had some time before any kind of reinforcement showed up. He moved forward. The door to the actual compound was reinforced steel. He could have blown it up but that would have attracted some unwanted attention. Something crackled nearby. Jack looked around, finally seeing a comm-link in one of goons ears. He could hear a voice talking. The words became clear as he brought the device closer. “-ny progress on our ghost?” Reaper. He'd done his homework and knew what the mercenary sounded and looked like. His presence could only mean bad news. Jack had never actually clashed with Reaper but he had seen the ravages the wraith left behind him. He had also heard rumors stating that Reaper was hunting down Overwatch agents, apparently having some sort of vendetta with them. “Nothing. He’s slipped off the radar the last few days.” A woman’s voice, with a slight accent. If he had to guess, he would have said French. Then again, foreign languages weren’t his forte. Jack only spoke English. He’d always counted on Gabriel’s presence by his side, the man speaking way too many languages. Often switching from one to the other just to annoy him. Jack shook his head, pushing those longing thoughts away. He was probably going to miss the man until his dying day. After all, Gabriel Reyes had been his sun, his moon and everything in-between. ( _Why did you never tell him while he was alive._ ) But now was not the time to daydream. Jack looked behind, towards the outer entrance. Still no sign of reinforcements. He turned back. He ran, jumped and scaled up the wall, thanks to the armor and enhancements he had received oh-so-long ago.

 

He had not even landed that some guy was already shooting at him, his aim terrible. Seriously, who even gave that brat a rifle? Jack knocked the gun away, his rifle 'unfortunately' hitting the kid’s nose. There was a cracking sound and his opponent doubled over, hands on his face. “Where is he?” Jack looked around, turning his tactical visor on. He needed to find Reaper before the mercenary could do any real harm. Before he had any real chance to scan the zone, he was shot in the back.

“Right here, Jack.” The voice was raspy, emotionless mostly, an edge of mockery in the tone.

It was Jack’s turn to double over, pain coursing through his back. Reaper knew his name. The armor had stopped most of the impact and Jack could already feel his enhancements work on healing the damage he had been dealt. But he was fucking old. He would need time to heal, time he didn’t seem to have.

“I’ve been looking for you since Switzerland. Knew it’d take more than that to kill you.”

Reaper seemed to know an awful lot of things. The mercenary might have been bluffing, but it was hard to tell from the dispassionate voice.

“Now here you are. This is how it should have been.” Again, there was the edge of something in the low growl, except that this time, Jack had literally no idea of what it was. He tensed, ready for the blow that seemed but a second away.

 

A clanking sound. Reaper half-growled, half-shouted. Jack turned, the enhanced vision provided by the visor letting him see a silhouette on one of the balconies, above the door of the wall he’d scaled up not five minutes ago. Something hit his shoulder. The pain faded away. He felt reinvigorated, almost young for an instant. Someone shouted from afar, a woman’s voice. Right. He needed to deal with Reaper before the man hurt anyone else. He tackled the mercenary. Either the man had been surprised by Jack’s move or simply hadn’t expected him to retaliate so fiercely, but he simply didn’t move for a handful of second as Jack hit him hard a few times. Whatever had unsettled the mercenary finally wore off and he punched Jack back, making him stumble backwards. He had a lot more strength than he seemed to. Was probably enhanced. Jack attacked again.

 

Reaper had made the mistake of mentioning the past and Jack- Jack breathed and lived that past, all while trying to shake it off. He was an old relic, bitter and tired. He lived for his self-imposed mission and he was ready to die for it. Nothing held him back. He rushed in and nobody flanked his right. He threw his fist and no knee came in to join his punch. He got punched in the rib and no-one jumped in to slug his assailant in the face in retaliation. He fell to the ground and no-one grabbed him by the arm, hauling him back up. Jack stayed on the ground, his thoughts spiraling at a dizzying speed. Without Gabriel he was nothing, barely more than a soldier who fought never-ending wars. It had been Gabriel who had given him a purpose, a direction. Gabriel who had pushed him or supported his choices, depending on what he needed. ( _You’re pathetic._ ) He needed to get a grip on himself and soon, or things wouldn’t end well. He steadied himself, and finally got off the ground, just in time to see the tail of the shadow of Reaper as the mercenary fled. He turned a bit more and there was Ana, who had just fought to save his life. Ana who had supposedly died years ago.

“You’d better have a good reason to come here and ruin everything, Jack.”

Jack took the visor down, letting her see his face. ”I was looking for you.” And for a few seconds, he was blind.

After what felt like an eternity, he felt her hands softly pushing the visor back against his skin. It clicked. He could see again.

 

They exchanged words, explanations, stories. Trust Ana to see that he needed someone by his side, someone to watch his back, make sure he wouldn’t do something stupid again. He started moving but to his surprise, she didn’t follow. Instead, she moved back and crouched in the dust, pulling something out of it. Jack stared at the object. “Is this ….?”

In Ana’s hand, lies a small datapad, obviously fallen out of one of Reaper’s many pockets during the fight.

She smirked. “Always loved free intel.”

 

* * *

 

**Gibraltar**

 

Jack had decided to answer Winston’s call, but that didn’t mean he’d actually announced himself. He was greeted by a sword and a pair of guns.

“Interesting way of greeting allies.” Ana pointed.

Jack grunted. He was fucking tired and Ana had insisted on piloting all the way to here. And her piloting skills were so disastrous that he’d had to stay awake all the way, stress and fear of dying in a stupid jet plane crash pumping so much adrenaline in his veins that he wouldn’t had been able to sleep, even if he had tried. He had been tired before all this little escapade and now all he wanted was to crash and have a decent number of hours of actual restful sleep, and not be attacked by allies only because he hadn’t rang the fucking doorbell. The cyborg ( _what was it again, Shimada something_ ) pulled his sword back and Oxton squealed in pure delight.

“Ana!” The high pitch made Jack wince.

  
He went straight to Winston, intent on simply giving him the datapad and then disappearing in a quiet corner for a couple of hours. The scientist was hurt, a bandage covering his hips.

“What happened.”

Winston blinked then looked at himself. “We ran into some Talon agents. There were… complications.”

Jack nodded and handed the stick to the scientist. He then felt something hit the back of his head. He turned and saw Ana glaring at him.

“What?”

“Stop being rude, Morrison.”

Silence fell on the room. Jack huffed. Of course, she would do that. He grabbed a chair and sat (more like fell) in it rather ungraciously. “I’m tired.”

“If you’re so tired, why didn’t you sleep during the flight.”

Jack rolled his eyes behind the visor, forgetting for a second that no-one would be able to see it. Oxton giggled, clearly understanding Jack’s dilemma. He turned once more toward Winston.

“Got the data from Reaper. Should prove useful.”

“Commande-”

“Don’t.” The harshness in Jack’s tone had them all freeze on the spot. “Just… don’t.” He said again, his voice much softer this time.

Winston remained silent some more but then answered. “What should we call you then?”

“Soldier:76”

Another silence.

“So, Morrison-”

Jack closed his eyes, another wave of tiredness hitting him. This day just kept getting worse. What had he gotten himself into this time?

 


	3. Sometimes an appropriate response to reality is to go insane.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are bits in spanish in this chapter but if you hover/put your mouse on the spanish text, it should show you the translation (I did some coding for that)  
>  If it doesn't work, the translations are available in the notes at the end of the chapter  
>  ___  
>    
>  A big thank you to [hoxadrine](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hoxadrine) for the translations :D

 

**Gibraltar**

 

A hand landed on his shoulder and Jack woke up to a start, his hands going to his rifle on instinct.

A chuckle, followed by a sigh. “It’s me, Jack.” Ana.

Jack’s eyes finally opened, his visor coming back online. Her face hovered in front of him, quiet concern in her eyes. He stretched, and sat properly again. He had fallen asleep shortly after their arrival apparently. He still felt pretty tired though. Jack wanted to pass a hand on his face, to wash the fatigue away. He rolled his shoulders instead and heard a few satisfying pops. Had it been only up to him, he would have gone right back to sleep, but everyone seemed to have been waiting for him to be awake again.

He huffed, looked at the screen and frowned. “Why is a picture of McCree next to…” It took him a few seconds to remember the name. “Genji’s brother?”

Looks were exchanged. Jack straightened. Something was going on. Surprisingly, it was Genji that started talking. “We recently encountered Talon while we were in Nepal. After a short fight, we discovered that both Jesse and my brother Hanzo were Talon agents.” He glanced at Winston. “Or at least, that they were working with Talon. We did not really have time to exchange, ah, civilities.”

Jack could tell that the cyborg was tense, or at least, worried.

“An’ uh, I might have have had a run-in with Widowmaker? In King’s Row, ah few days back? An’ she looks a looot like Amélie Lacroix. Except for, ya know, the purple skin an’ all that.” Tracer added, wincing and moving around a lot. Ana chimed in, nodding solemnly. “I can concur.” She said nothing else.

Jack grunted. Great. It was also very weird. Amélie had been kidnapped shortly after Gérard’s death. For her, to be Talon… Maybe she had been the one to kill Gérard. It did sound like something the terrorist organization would do. And then McCree. He never would have picked Jesse for the type of man who’d work for an organization like Talon. Then again, that had been, what, fifteen years ago? Things changed. Had it only been fifteen years? It had felt like a much longer time since he had last heard Gabe’s laugh. Jack sighed.

 

Winston finally spoke. “Athena has almost finished decrypting the datapad, which was why we felt it was time to wake you up, Morrison.”

Jack nodded. The scientist looked like he wanted to ask something but Athena’s voice suddenly came from the space between them.

“Decryption complete. It is a pleasure to see you are well, Commander Morrison.”

Jack hummed. He wasn’t really talkative these days.

Winston was much nicer. “Athena, could you show us what’s on the pad?”

“Of course.”

Two different ‘piles’ appeared on the holoscreen. “The datapad contains an extremely well documented file about the Talon agent Widowmaker, four video files and a few deleted files that were not entirely erased.”

There was a moment of silence.

“Can you recover those files?”

“It will take some time.”

Winston nodded. “We already know who Widowmaker is, so how about we watch the videos? Maybe it’s some sort of log that Reaper was keeping for his masters-”

“-and then we might get some clues as to what they’ve got planned yet.” Ana finished, nodding to herself.

“Good enough for me.” Jack shrugged.

“Athena, play the most recent file please.” One, two, three seconds passed.

“It appears the files are locked and cannot be played in disorder. Apologies.”

The scientist huffed. “It’s okay. Let’s just watch it that way then.”

Tracer finally sat and everyone focused on the holoscreen.

 

* * *

 

_There’s a wooden desk, a chair, something that looks like a window, out of focus and in the back of the room. It looks like someone’s house, not some terrorist’s lair. A voice can be heard. _“Vamos, viejo, tú puedes!”_ Someone grunts. There’s some shuffling out of view and then someone is pushed into the chair, glaring darkly at the pad. _

 

And Jack stilled, drawing a sharp breath in and his heart missing a beat. _Gabriel._ His lover’s face was partially covered by bandages and one of his arms was in a splint. His expression was raw, hurt, a mix of rage, despair and resignation. He looked like shit.

 

_Gabriel closes his eyes, tiredness slowly taking over._

__”Cuál es el maldito punto? Él está muerto. Overwatch no está mas. No hay nadie a quien reportar.”_ He shakes his head. _

_A voice answers him. _“Me has dicho, hace poco, que querías hacerlos pagar.”_   _

 

 _"_ Is that McCree’s voice?”

“I think so?”

“Yes, it is him.” Genji’s voice was carefully blank.

 

_Gabe passes a hand on his face, leaning into the chair and sighs deeply, looking at the ceiling for a second. “You’re right.”_

_A few seconds pass, then Gabe sits upright, or least straightens a bit, a scowl on his face as pain seemingly shoots through his shoulder. His eyes come back to the camera. His expression is stern but somewhat fierce._

_"Let this be our testament to the world. To our friends. To our colleagues. To the ones we love. We will make them pay for what they did to us.”_

_Gabe pauses, a tension showing in his jaw. The next words are uttered much quieter, emotion laced within them, making them vibrant._

_“Whatever it takes, whatever we have to do.”_

_Gabriel’s mouth opens again but he suddenly folds on himself, a wracking cough coursing through him. Jesse comes into view, putting a hand on Gabe’s shoulder._

_“_ _Hang on, Gabi! Angela!”_

_At some point, either Jesse or Gabe must bump into the desk, because the camera falls and suddenly, all they can see is the ceiling. There’s the sound of someone running closer. “_

_What have you done!? Take him downstairs, now!”_ It’s Angela Ziegler’s voice. _Some shuffling, the sound of someone trying to breathe but obviously failing._

_“C’mon, _pa_ , stay with me.” _

_“I told you not to aggravate him, his condition is critical as it is._

_”_ _The voices are diminishing in volume and clarity, fast, as their owners move away from the camera._

_“_ _He was fine.” The answer is hissed through clenched teeth._

_Angela’s answer is inaudible, nothing more than a vague blur of sound. The recording goes on for another handful of seconds then cuts on its own._

 

* * *

 

The silence that follows was deafening.

“Gabriel is alive?” Ana seemed as shocked as Jack felt.

There was a high-pitched sound, metal being twisted forcefully and he hazily noticed that he’d bent the metal of the chair, because of how tightly he was gripping it. He needed to know. “How old is this file ? Athena.”

“The log on this file indicates that it is fifteen years old, Commander. It was recorded precisely two weeks after the Switzerland incident.”

Gabriel had survived. Or, at least, he had been alive fifteen years ago. A shaky breath left Jack’s lips.

Ana didn’t even look at him as she spoke next. “Play the next one.”

She knew the impact of this revelation on Jack’s mind, could tell he wouldn’t be able to do much but hope for the next few minutes.

“How old is the second file, Athena?” Winston asked.

“According to the log, it was recorded ten years ago.”

Five years. There was a five year gap between the two files. Jack braced himself, because really, anything could have happened in the meantime.

 

* * *

 

_The decor is pretty much the same, except for a few differences. The place that can be seen in the background looks much more lived in, clothes strewn here and there, weapons stacked in neat piles, the sound of a invisible coffeemaker. Jesse is the one sitting in the chair this time, a grin on his face. “Today’s a good day, figured I’d record it.”_

 

Genji’s eyes took in every little detail. Jesse’s hair was longer and he had a three days beard. There was a little scar on his cheek, one that had not been there fifteen years ago. Genji felt like a starved man who had suddenly been put in front of a feast. He couldn’t look away, barely blinked. What if he looked and Jesse was gone when he returned? The fear was somewhat irrational (it was a recording, Jesse wasn’t going anywhere) but it gripped him all the same.

 

_Jesse frowns, pointing at the camera. “Don’t fucking delete this file, d’ya hear me, Reyes?”_

 

Jack let out a breath he hadn’t realized it he had been holding in. _Gabe._

 

_"I know you’ve been deleting the logs, for” and he makes quotes marks with his fingers, rolling his eyes in frustration, “ ‘security reasons’, but fuck you. I get that you wanna keep us safe but we deserve something nice while being up to the neck deep in shit. Troops morale, remember?” Jesse shakes his head, muttering something else but the camera doesn’t catch it._

_“Anyway. So! The good news. The good news is that Amélie’s alive. As in Lacroix’s wife Amélie. ‘parently, Talon didn’t kill her, just kidnapped her. Kinda. Didn’t get the whole story.” He scratches his scalp, looking a bit sheepish. “Not so good news, they miiiight have brainwashed her. Experimented on her too. She goes by Widowmaker now.”_

_And this time, the camera does catch his murmur “Seems ‘ppropriate…” Jesse shivers then puts his hand to the side as if presenting something. “Angie seems to think that she can reverse it though.” He shrugs._

_A loud sound coming from outside interrupts whatever he might have said next. He rolls, gun already in his hand, expression serious and dark. The door slams open. Gabriel charges in, a body in his arms. There’s a lot of blood and the person in Gabe’s arms seems unconscious. A tattooed arm comes into view, sliding to the side thanks to all the moving around._

 

Genji’s sharp breath had them all turn his way, but he said nothing.

 

_“Help me get him downstairs.”_

_They both rush to the right of screen, a door opens out of sight. There’s a moment of quiet, then someone starts shouting from a distance. Something bumps on the door to the right . Then something else flies into the room, the blur of movement making it unrecognizable. Gabriel and Jesse finally rush back into the room, matching winces on their faces. They must have closed the door on their way back because the shouting subsides of all a sudden._

_“Who is that guy, anyway, Gabi?”_

_“No fucking idea.” Gabriel shrugs._

_“You kidding me?! Do you reali-”_

_T_ _he ex-commander of Blackwatch raises a hand effectively cutting off the oncoming rant._

_“Heard him talk about Genji. Figured you might be interested.” Gabriel grunts. “Almost got to him too late.”_ _Jesse’s clearly confused. “Ninjas were about to end his suffering.”_

_Jesse winces. “Hanamura?”_

_“Yeah”_

_“Shimada?”_

_“Probably.”_

_Gabriel looks at his hands and arms which are covered in blood and mutters a quiet “fuck” before moving to the kitchen that can be seen in the background. Jesse follows him. “But like, did he say anything in particular?”_

_“Fucker passed out before I could ask.”_

_“Fuck.”_

_“Yeah.” Gabriel throws something at Jesse then comes out of the kitchen. Shirtless._

 

And Jack couldn’t look away from that torso. Gabriel looked good, always had, but he had so many more scars. And more than a few that looked like they should have been deadly. Something wrenched itself in his throat.

 

_"Gotta take a shower, I’m fucking drenched.”_

_Jesse hums. “Y’need anything, old man?”_

_Gabe stops, thoughtful for a second. “Coffee?”_

_There’s hopefulness in his voice, laced with something else, tired and wary._

_Jesse chuckles and nods. “Sure.”_

_Gabriel disappears somewhere beyond the kitchen._

 

And as he turned, Jack noticed that there was something attached to his back, but Gabe moved too fast for the soldier to really see what it was.

 

_Jesse moves back into the room, throwing away the clothes that Gabe had given him. He then stops, comes back to the camera and turns it off without another word._

 

* * *

 

“Play the next one.” Jack’s voice was rough, cracking. Commanding. Nobody opposed him.

 

* * *

 

_The recording opens on Jesse’s face. He frowns for about half a second then smiles, relieved. “Ah, there!” He’s whispering. Behind him, the light is poor, inching on non-existent. It’s probably very late, or underground. Jesse moves the camera so that it’s no longer pointing at his face. Windows, reflecting Jesse holding a small camera, and the rest of the room come into view. A big table, and there’s the chair they’ve seen twice already._

_The angle has been flipped by 180° though, and they can now see the back of the chair and the wall on the other side of the desk. Someone’s sitting in the chair, body relaxed in the way only sleep provides. Jesse comes closer and slowly moves the camera so they can see the person’s face. Gabriel is asleep, arms crossed on his chest, head tilted to the side, a small smile on his lips._

 

Jack frowned. Gabe’s skin seemed to be of a weird, sickly color. It was probably because of the lighting.

 

_“I haven’t seen him this relaxed in years.” Jesse comments, voice barely more than a murmur, clearly trying not to wake the sleeping man up. He keeps the lens focused on Gabriel for a moment, then moves away and into what seems to be a kitchen._

_The camera focuses on Jesse’s face once more. “It’s good to see the old man getting better. All because we discovered that Morrison was still alive.”_

 

Jack’s heart beat too hard in his old man chest.

 

_Jesse’s smile is short lived, a bit forced. He sets the camera down on, serves himself a mug of coffee. Hips appear behind him, their owner coming closer. “I see that sleep escapes you too, my friend.”_

 

Genji stiffened in his seat.

“Genji?”

He nodded once, slowly. “That is my brother’s voice.”

Due to the spot Jesse had put the camera onto (probably the kitchen counter), they could only see up to Jesse’s rib-cage and almost to Hanzo’s shoulders.

 

_Jesse sighs, laughs a bit, but his heart is not in it. “Ah, yeah… Just- A bad day, I guess.”_

_Hanzo’s body tilts away from Jesse, as he probably looks away. “I understand.”_

_Something clatters and there’s the sound of spilled liquid. Jesse’s flesh hand moves up and out of sight, presumably to his face. His metal hand goes to the counter, gripping it hard. There’s a hard choked out sound that comes from him, something deep and nerve-wracking. He’s shaking, choked sobs coming out in between long gulps for air. Hanzo comes closer, close enough that his shoulder bumps into Jesse’s._

_“Do you wish for me to stay and keep you company?” Hanzo’s voice is soft, no more than a murmur._

_Jesse partially turns his way, his sobs receding a bit. “I- I’d like that.”_

_Hanzo takes a step back, putting a hand on Jesse’s shoulder. “Come on then. Let us watch one of those terrible movies you like so much.”_

_Hanzo moves away and up the stairs right outside of the kitchen, waiting a second for the cowboy to follow him, then disappearing up the stairs when Jesse does._

 

And Genji knew something was very very wrong, because Jesse would have normally never let anyone insult one of his ‘western’ movies. His cowboyfriend had once refused him access to his quarters until Genji had  apologized for calling ‘The Good, The Bad and the Ugly’ a ‘sad excuse for a movie’. Jesse was very serious about those movies, for some reason.

 

_The recording goes on for another minute, the sound of footsteps slowly fading away, then cuts on its own._

 

* * *

 

Genji was the first to speak, less than a second after the recording ended.

“When was this recorded exactly?” He was doing his best to sound blank but there was a tension bleeding in his words.

“The file was recorded on the eighth of May, nine years ago.”

Genji stilled, something wrenching in his chest. He felt breathless, on the verge of crying, even though this body of his did not allow him tears. “My birthday.” He whispered.

Lena puts a hand on his arm, after a moment, and guides him back into his seat. He had not even realized he’d been standing.

Winston seems thoughtful. “There’s only one file left, right Athena?”

“Indeed.”

“How old is it?” He exchanged a look with Ana.

“The last file was recorded three days ago.”

They all went still. Nine years. Nine years without a single recording. Whatever had put Jesse and Hanzo into Talon’s clutches, must have happened during that length of time. They were all very tense as the last file finally started playing.

 

* * *

 

_Gabriel is sitting in that chair, that now looks worn out and has rips, here and there. Most of his face is invisible, shadowed by the hood he has pulled low onto his head. His lips, and part of his chin are visible though, his skin a pale sickly yellowish color._

 

“What’s wrong with his skin?” Jack closed his eyes a second. It had not been the light. Something was wrong with Gabriel.

 

_This time, the camera is much closer of the windows, the angle slightly different. They can now see the beginning of the set of stairs just outside of the kitchen, and, further inside what had once upon a time been a living room, a door that seems to lead somewhere down. The windows show a view of mountains covered by snow._

 

And Jack frowned. He had seen those mountains before, but where?

 

_Behind Gabe, Jesse and Hanzo are standing, leaning over what looks like a map, both wearing the outfits they’d been wearing back in Nepal, minus their respective masks and bandanas. They’re pointing and dragging their fingers over the map, discussing something quietly, making plans._

_“Things aren’t moving as planned.” Gabriel sounds bitter but at the same time, his voice is cold, disinterested. “We need to get things moving, so I’m going kick the serpent’s nest and hope not to get caught in the aftermath.” He sounds very different from the last time they’d heard him talk, the vibrance faded away, replaced by something cold and dark, like a blade to the throat in a back alley._

_He shrugs, then tilts his body to the side, just as someone comes into view. The women wears a warm-looking sweater and a wool and leather jacket on top of it._

_“Are you sure this is a good idea, Gabriel?” It’s Angela._

_Gabriel turns, glancing to the two men behind him and turns back, his profile a dark counterpoint to the light that pours from the windows._

_“Can’t let this thing drag on forever. If I was alone in this, it’d be different but-”_

_“-you’re not. Alone.” She puts a hand on his shoulder, her arm temporarily hiding Gabe’s face. “We’re in it together, for better or for worse.”_

_There’s a soft huffed laugh from Gabriel. His phone suddenly rings. He gets up and moves to the center of the room while answering. “Yes.”_

_Angela sits in the chair, looking at Gabriel as he talks on the phone, short clipped answers, the tone of his voice bored and uninterested, something like annoyance slipping in every now and then. There are lines of worry etched by years and constant worry in her face, making her seem older than she is. Her hair is long and in a braid that curls over her shoulders. She seems hardened, tough and, like the rest of the group, tired to the bone. She sighs, glances at the camera and smiles apologetically, sadness flashing on her face for an instant._

_“It’ll cost you double.” Gabe seems annoyed._

_Angela turns back to him and in the back, they can see that Jesse and Hanzo have turned their gaze to Gabriel too._

_“For changing the terms of our agreement. Be happy I’m still taking the job.” There’s a silence. “Yes, you do that.”_

_Gabriel ends the call, passes a hand on his face. “Change of plans. We’re moving out now. Grab your things.”_

_Jesse starts picking up a few bags, putting a few more things in them, while Hanzo folds some of the maps and packs them too, along with a small black box. Gabriel moves to the camera, Angela sidesteps. “You’re still going on with that plan, aren’t you.” It doesn’t quite sound like a question, more of a quiet statement._

_It makes Gabriel pause, his fingers hovering over the lens. “I’ll make it work. You know I will.”_

_She doesn’t say anything but there must be some sort of move from her because he backs away from the camera, facing her fully. “What is it?”_

_She shakes her head. “I’m just tired, Gabriel. Tired, that’s all.”_

_He turns his head to the windows, looking outside. “I’m sorry.” His voice is quiet, a barely there whisper._

_“Don’t be.” She smiles, sad and exhausted but there’s still a spark in her eyes. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be, nothing more important to be done. I just- It’s been too long.”_

_Her gaze grows distant and she wavers a bit, tilting away from Gabriel._

_“I know, Angie. I’m sorry.”_

_Jesse calls from behind them. “Waiting for you, old man.”_

_Gabe snorts. “Who’re you calling old, kid.” He turns to the pair further away and starts walking in their direction._

_Something dark, like smoke, starts pouring from him, curling around his hands, arms, legs, covering every inch of Gabriel in an inky black fog that moves as if it had a conscience of his own._

 

They had all stopped moving, a heavy silence falling on the room. Jack’s mouth had dried all of a sudden. It was impossible.

“That’s impossible.“ Ana muttered.

 

_A hand covers part of the lens. “Don’t forget this, old man.” The camera flies and lands in hands that are now covered by gloves and silver talons. It bumps around and flips over, showing Gabriel’s face as the mask of Reaper smoke-forms over it._

 

Jack’s head was spinning. He couldn’t think about this. The implications were-

 

_“What is it with the old man references, you lot. I’m not that old yet.” His voice is distorted, sounding metallic through the mask._

_“Keep telling yourself that.” Jesse snickers._

_There’s the sound of a door opening and a few snowflakes fly inside, passing by, floating happily towards their demise._

_“Come back.” Angela says softly. Gabriel-Reaper-Gabe nods._

_The ceiling is replaced by open sky as the trio moves out. A set of footsteps sounds like its owner moves faster, the other two staying together._

_“Jesse.”_

_“Si, pa?”_

_The camera moves around a lot, showing snow and mountains._

_"Ten cuidado, hijo. Tengo un mal presentimiento."_

_"¿Qué tan malo?”_

_Apparently, trying to turn off a camera when you have talons at the tip of your fingers is no easy task._

_"No tanto como Suiza, pero igual..."_

_"Tendré cuidado, lo prome-"_

_Reap-Gabriel must finally manage to cut the recording because the file ends there, stopping abruptly in the middle of a sentence._

 

* * *

 

“Go back”

“Jack…”

“Do it.”

Concerned looks were exchanged but Winston rewinded the recording, until Jack motioned for him to freeze it.

“See those mountains? That’s Switzerland.”

“How can you be so sure?” Lena asked, eyebrows raised.

“I’ve walked those mountains for days. Believe me, I know.”

The silence that followed was uneasy, questions hovering in the air. Jack couldn’t let himself think. If he started thinking, he would spiral out of control and become a mess. He needed to stay focused. He needed to find Gabriel. Then, he could allow himself to fall apart, but not before. He had something to look forward to, once again.

Ana nodded to herself, having apparently taken a decision. “Athena. Can you calculate the exact location of that place?”

“It will take some time but yes.”

“Good. Let’s go to Switzerland then.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Vamos, viejo, tú puedes!” = "Come on old man, you can do it."  
> ”Cuál es el maldito punto? Él está muerto. Overwatch no está mas. No hay nadie a quien reportar.” = "What’s the fucking point? He’s dead. Overwatch’s been disbanded. No-one left to report to."  
> “Me has dicho, hace poco, que querías hacerlos pagar.” = "You told me, not so long ago, that you wanted to make them pay."  
> pa = dad
> 
>  
> 
> “Si, pa?” = "Yes, dad?"  
> “Ten cuidado, hijo. Tengo un mal presentimiento." = "Be careful, son. I have a bad feeling about this one.”  
> "¿Qué tan malo?” = “How bad?"  
> "No tanto como Suiza, pero igual..." ="Not like Switzerland but still pretty bad.”  
> "Tendré cuidado, lo prometo" = “I’ll be careful. Promi-."
> 
> Also, here have some art of Hanzo as a Talon Agent :D [here](http://tatchloup.tumblr.com/post/154438689075/trying-out-a-new-way-of-coloringdoing-flats-hanzo)

**Author's Note:**

> Have some art of Jesse as a Talon agent [here](http://tatchloup.tumblr.com/post/153306627200/finally-finished-this-sketch-line)


End file.
